The Akwa Ibom State Government has approved the recruitment of 7,069 personnel into various sectors of the State Public Service, the Head of the State Civil Service, Mrs. Elsie Peters, has disclosed.

Peters disclosed this during a media parley to commence activities for the 2026 Public Service Day celebration.

She said the recruitment was part of the Governor Umo Eno administration’s efforts to address manpower gaps in critical sectors, improve service delivery and strengthen the state workforce.

Among the personnel recruited or approved for recruitment are 1,000 secondary school teachers, 2,000 workers for the medical sector and about 1,000 for the mainstream civil service, 1,000 primary school personnel under SUBEB, 1,000 judiciary officers, 100 Occupational Safety Officers, and 25 Legal Officers for the Ministry of Justice.

The Head of Service also highlighted measures taken by the administration to improve workers’ welfare, including the payment of more than ₦90 billion out of over ₦111 billion in inherited gratuity liabilities.

She said the state had maintained regular salary payments and implemented the ₦80,000 minimum wage from November 2024.

Other measures, according to her, include the introduction of the 13th-month salary, pension increases for retirees and the settlement of outstanding pension contributions.

She added that workers had benefited from housing support, health insurance, welfare bonuses, teachers’ wardrobe allowance, continuous training and the provision of modern working tools.

On career advancement, Peters said the administration had strengthened the promotion process through civil service examinations, the release of outstanding promotion results and the conclusion of the 2026 promotion exercise.

She said the measures had created opportunities for eligible officers to advance in their careers and had helped improve motivation within the commission.

Peters also cited the appointment of new Permanent Secretaries and an acting Surveyor-General as measures that had strengthened the leadership structure of the State Public Service.

However, she stressed that improved welfare must be matched by increased productivity, urging public servants to uphold professionalism, integrity, discipline, innovation and dedication to duty. (Channels)